A solid oxide fuel cell is known which comprises a solid oxide electrolyte, a solid oxide cathode and a cermet anode. The operating temperature of a stack of solid oxide cells is approximately 1000° C. The electrolyte comprises a Y2O3—ZrO2 mixed oxide, a so-called yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconium oxide (YSZ). The cathode comprises LaMnO3 doped with Sr, Mg or Ca. The anode comprises a mixture of fine Ni-particles and YSZ. The nickel-YSZ-oxide cermet anode is for instance produced by mixing NiO with YSZ (Zr1-xYxO2-x/2). This oxide mixture is sintered on the electrolyte. When the cell is activated and fuel gas is fed in form of H2 or CH4 to the cermet anode, NiO is reduced to Ni. Such a cermet anode must be porous in such a manner that the fuel gas can penetrate and react with the O−-ions from the YSZ electrolyte while simultaneously releasing electrons to the nickel metal. Thus the anode reaction can only take place in a transition area between the three phases YSZ, Ni and fuel gas. The anode reaction is as follows:CH4(gas+O−(YSZ)-electrolyte)−CO2(gas)+8e−(in the Ni-metal). 
In order to allow the electrons to be diverted, a passage or a percolation path must exist through the Ni-phase, and for this purpose the % by volume of Ni must exceed 35%.
The use of CeO2 based anodes implies that a reduction by means of H2 or CH4 results in substoichiometric CeO2-x, which can conduct both electrons and oxygen ions. Such an anode allows the oxidation of H2 or CH4 to be carried out across the entire surface, viz. the gas bordering surface, e− and O− simultaneously being accessible across the entire surface. The latter is of importance in connection with oxidation of CH4, which is the main component in natural gas.
A coupling layer in form of end plates with channels for the supply of gas flows is arranged on both the anode and the cathode side. These end plates involve a relatively cost-intensive manufacture because they must be made of a relatively expensive ceramic material, and furthermore they require relatively much material. In addition, they take up relatively much room and increase the height of a stack of cells to an unnecessary extent.